As a departure from the normal stock market investing advice that I dispense, I thought that for a change, I would talk about musical instruments. As you know, the guitar is a stringed instrument that can be played with the fingers or a pick. Broadly speaking, there are two categories of guitars namely acoustic and electric with several important subcategories. Guitars normally have six strings though there are exceptions such as the 12 string guitar or the Russian guitar which has 7 strings.
Acoustic guitars which have hollow bodies [in common with other instruments like the violin and the cello] have been used for hundreds of years. The main types of acoustic guitars are the classical guitar, the steel string guitar and the archtop guitar. The tone of the guitar is produced when the vibrations of the strings are amplified by the hollow body which acts as a kind of resonating chamber. The classical guitar is extensively used as a solo instrument because the complex finger picking technique enables it to be so used.
Electric guitars, which were first used in the 1930s, use a separate amplifier through which sound can be amplified and manipulated. The vibration of the strings is picked up by magnetic pickups placed under them which transmit the sound to the amplifier through wires. Electric guitars have had a significant influence on modern music and culture and are used in musical genres that range from pop and rock to jazz and blues music.
An interesting blend of acoustic and electric guitars can be found in some archtop guitars where the top and sometimes the back of the instrument is curved rather than flat. They are distinguished by f holes much like a violin. Most modern archtop guitars are fitted with magnetic pickups and can therefore combine the best of the sound quality of both acoustic and electric guitars. These guitars were instantly welcomed by many musicians and have today become a staple of jazz, country music and many forms of blues.
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